Jon Johanning wrote:

>(But I would disagree with you slightly on Vivaldi -- I have come around
>to the opinion that his stuff isn't half bad for the most part, as long
>as you can take it in small doses <g>).

I think Jon and agree on Vivaldi's music.  Vivaldi tends to be held up as
the epitome of standard baroque fare, and the well-known reference to his
having written the same concerto 600 times has stuck to him like glue.

However, when looked at by themselves, Vivaldi's compositions do reveal
an expert craftsman of proficient proportions.  Whether this level of
composition merits the frequent recording and air play that Vivaldi
receives is a different issue.  Obviously, there are many folks who buy
his recordings and like his output.  But, it's the high frequency of it
all that places Vivaldi in the limelight, and it's in that environment
that I find him lacking in comparison to the the master composers.  I think
Vivaldi's music is as good as that of most other baroque composers but does
not reach the level of Couperin, Rameau, Telemann, and a few others, and is
just uninspired compared to Bach and Handel.

Don Satz
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